KAREN BASS

Los Angeles drivers returned to a much more normal commute Monday when an elevated stretch of a major freeway reopened well ahead of original estimates.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says an elevated Los Angeles freeway closed by a Nov. 11 arson fire will reopen ahead of Monday morning’s commute.

Repairs to an elevated Los Angeles freeway closed because of an arson fire are moving faster than expected and all lanes are scheduled to reopen by next Tuesday.

A fire that erupted in storage yards beneath a Los Angeles freeway has renewed attention on the city’s inability to protect the thousands of homeless residents living in such perilous locations.

Biden administration officials have hosted big city mayors at the White House to discuss how to manage a growing number of migrants.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed two major pieces of legislation to transform the state’s mental health system and to address the state’s worsening homelessness crisis.

Thousands of Los Angeles city employees, including sanitation workers, engineers and traffic officers, walked off the job for a 24-hour strike alleging unfair labor practices.

The number of homeless residents counted in Los Angeles County has spiked again, increasing by 9% since last year.

A group of migrants who arrived by bus in downtown Los Angeles were sent from Texas.

Democratic leaders in major U.S. cities are finding themselves politically squeezed when it comes to addressing homelessness.

The Democratic mayoral primary in Philadelphia is the latest election to represent a clash between moderates and progressives on concerns such as policing and education and to show the power of union support in big city politics.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has died at age 92.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is recommending the city spend what she called a record $1.3 billion next year to get homeless people into housing.

Fed up by an enormous pothole in his Los Angeles neighborhood, Arnold Schwarzenegger picked up a shovel and filled it himself.

Los Angeles Unified School District workers have approved a contract to increase wages and provide better benefits for staffers after a three-day strike last month.

The Los Angeles Unified School District and union leaders say they have reached a deal on a new contract for workers after a strike that shut down the nation’s second-largest school system for three days.

Tens of thousands of workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District have walked off the job over stalled contract talks.

A man who allegedly shot and wounded two Jewish men as they left synagogues in Los Angeles last month has pleaded not guilty to federal hate crimes.

Authorities say three Los Angeles K-9 police officers who were shot and wounded in a confrontation with a wanted parolee are in stable condition and the suspect is dead.

A man who allegedly shot and wounded two Jewish men as they left synagogues in Los Angeles this week has been charged with federal hate crimes.

The Los Angeles police chief says he is concerned about two recent fatal police shootings, including one in which officers failed to call for a specially trained mental health team during an interaction with a man in crisis.

President Joe Biden will start the new Senate session on Tuesday by resubmitting 85 nominations that fell short last year.

President Joe Biden's administration is making a new push to reduce homelessness.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told NBC's “Meet the Press” that her administration will start moving homeless people off streets and into motel rooms through a new program that launches Tuesday.

The Los Angeles City Council was disrupted by another round of noisy protests after a councilman facing widespread calls to resign for his involvement in a racism scandal defiantly returned to the chamber.

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare for the District of Columbia and other major cities that public transit was a lifeline for essential workers and that even modest fares could be a burden to them.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has taken office making good on a pledge to declare an immediate state of emergency to grapple with the city’s out-of-control homeless crisis.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to step down from Democratic leadership after 20 years has many women admiring the way she wielded power.

Los Angeles' new mayor has outlined her vision to turn around a troubled City Hall and restrain an out-of-control homeless crisis in the nation's second-largest city.

Los Angeles has elected its first Black woman as mayor.

U.S. Rep. Karen Bass has pulled ahead of developer Rick Caruso in their back-and-forth contest to become mayor of Los Angeles.

California's midterm elections are coming to a close with a burst of house-to-house campaigning and nonstop TV advertising.

President Joe Biden's trip to Oregon, California and Colorado is showing how he's trying to turn out Democratic votes on Election Day.

The three Los Angeles City Council members at the center of a scandal over a recording of racist comments have each had long careers in state and local politics.

The Los Angeles City Council is mired in uncertainty.

Former Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez has announced that she is resigning her council seat amid a scandal over racist remarks that came to light in a leaked recording.

The race for Los Angeles mayor has taken a nasty turn, with both candidates sharpening attacks.

California is a Democratic fortress, but Tuesday’s primary election may have revealed some cracks.

Primary elections in seven states Tuesday will set the stage for U.S. House and Senate battles this fall that will play into control of Congress.

Negotiations that led to the executive order on race and policing signed last week by President Joe Biden had been in danger of breaking down.

The director of the federal Bureau of Prisons and a task force of senior agency officials traveled recently to a federal women's prison in California.

Eight House Democrats are demanding the Bureau of Prisons make public an audit of sexual assault reports at a federal women's prison in California where inmates say they were subjected to rampant abuse.

The mayor's race in Los Angeles is being dominated by a homeless crisis and rising crime rates.

A 29-year-old man has been arrested in the death of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, who was fatally shot this week at the Beverly Hills, California, home she shared with her husband, legendary music executive Clarence Avant.

U.S. Rep. Karen Bass is planning to run for Los Angeles mayor, bringing a high-profile name in national Democratic politics into the 2022 contest to run the nation's second-most-populous city.

Congressional leaders and a media advocacy organization are urging the Federal Communications Commission to investigate how policy decisions have disparately harmed Black Americans and other communities of color, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the acting FCC chair.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says congressional Democrats’ efforts to make it easier to sue police officers are causing law enforcement agencies to have problems recruiting and retaining personnel.

Republicans say they want congressional bargainers to reach a bipartisan deal on revamping policing procedures by summer or abandon the effort.

President Joe Biden met with the family of George Floyd at the White House Tuesday on the one-year anniversary of Floyd's death.

As the anniversary of George Floyd’s murder approaches, some people say the best way to honor him is for Congress to pass a bill in his name that overhauls policing.

Lawmakers from both parties say once-stalled legislation on Capitol Hill that would change the nation's policing laws is now closer than ever to consensus.

Bolstered with new momentum, Congress is ready to try again to change the nation’s policing laws.

A coalition of 150 organizations nationwide is opposing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The Movement for Black Lives argues the bill is entrenched in strategies that have historically failed to address police violence across the country and fails to meet the moment." The bill, designed by the Movement for Black Lives’ Electoral Justice Project, would also redirect funding toward communities to address the nation’s systemic racial injustices. “It’s not just about after the fact accountability,” said Gina Clayton-Johnson, the lead BREATHE Act architect and leadership team member of the Movement for Black Lives’ Policy Table. AdBut the movement faces a significant uphill battle in securing needed political support from lawmakers who will be key in pushing forward the BREATHE Act or revamping the Justice in Policing Act.

Gavin Newsom says he'll appoint a Black woman to the U.S. Senate if Feinstein retires before her term ends in 2024. Gavin Newsom said Monday he'd appoint a Black woman to replace U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein if she retires before her term is up in 2024. “We have multiple names in mind and the answer is yes," he said during a interview on MSNBC's “The ReidOut" when asked if he would name a Black woman to the seat if given the chance. Newsom recently held that power after then-California Sen. Kamala Harris was elected vice president. He faced competing pressure to name a Latino and a Black woman and eventually chose Alex Padilla, making him California's first Latino U.S. senator.

Scott Applewhite)WASHINGTON – House Democrats passed the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing nationwide, avoiding a potential clash with moderates in their own party who were wary of reigniting the “defund the police” debate they say hurt them during last fall's election. Approved 220-212 late Wednesday, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is named for the man whose killing by police in Minnesota last Memorial Day sparked demonstrations nationwide. “We want to feel safe when we encounter law enforcement. “Our law enforcement officers need more funding not less,” Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis. Another possible point of contention is provisions easing standards for prosecution of law enforcement officers accused of wrongdoing.

But lawmakers and advocates are racing to capitalize on House rules that allow any bill to bypass lengthy committee hearings if brought forward by April 1. Senate Republicans are now threatening similar delays. Ad“We’ll be fighting this in every way that we can,” Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said about the COVID-19 package. McConnell wants Senate Republicans to vote in lockstep against the virus aid, calling it a bloated liberal wish list, following the lead of House Republicans who gave it zero support. That leaves Democrats negotiating with themselves on the COVID-19 package, with Biden warning they won’t like every aspect as he courts centrists.

House Democrats are hustling to pass the most ambitious effort in decades to overhaul policing. The bill would ban chokeholds and “qualified immunity” for law enforcement and create national standards for policing in a bid to bolster accountability. “Our law enforcement officers need more funding not less,” Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Wis., said during Wednesday's debate. AdPolice unions and other law enforcement groups have argued that, without such legal protections, fear of lawsuits will stop people from becoming police officers — even though the measure permits such suits only against law enforcement agencies, rather than all public employees. California Rep. Karen Bass, who authored the bill, understands the challenge some House members face in supporting it.

(Graeme Jennings/Pool via AP)WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden's Cabinet is starting to fill out, with nominees for agriculture secretary and United Nations ambassador gaining Senate approval Tuesday. “And that’s what we intend to do.”Schumer couldn’t resist a jab at former President Donald Trump, saying that all Biden’s nominees are “undoubtedly qualified for their positions, a stark departure from the caliber of nominees the Senate was made to consider during the previous administration.”But one of Biden's nominees, Neera Tanden to lead the White House Office of Management and Budget, is clearly in trouble in the evenly divided Senate. Currently California's attorney general, Becerra appeared Tuesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. “I'm not sold yet,” Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, the ranking Republican on the health committee, said, addressing Becerra. ___INTERIORRep. Deb Haaland, Biden's nominee to lead the Interior Department, fielded sharp questions from Republicans over what some called her “radical” ideas that include opposition to fracking and to the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2020 file photo, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris speaks as she and President-elect Joe Biden introduce their nominees and appointees to key national security and foreign policy posts at The Queen theater, in Wilmington, Del. – Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will resign her Senate seat on Monday, two days before she and President-elect Joe Biden are inaugurated. Harris is the first woman ever elected vice president — and the first Black woman and first woman of South Asian descent to serve in that office. The wins by Ossoff and Warnock in Georgia ensured a 50-50 Senate, positioning Harris as the tie-breaking vote for Democratic control. Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, have enjoyed conversations and debates over how Emhoff should be addressed when Harris takes office.

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON – Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund on Thursday defended his department's response to the violent breach at the Capitol, saying officers “acted valiantly when faced with thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions” as they stormed the building. Rioters “actively attacked” Capitol police and other law enforcement officers Wednesday with metal pipes, discharged chemical irritants, and took up other weapons against our officers,'' Sund said in a statement. Capitol Police, who are charged with protecting Congress, turned to other law enforcement for help with the mob that overwhelmed the complex and sent lawmakers into hiding. Both law enforcement and Trump supporters deployed chemical irritants during the hourslong occupation of the complex before it was cleared Wednesday evening. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., a former police chief, said it was “painfully obvious" that Capitol police "were not prepared for today.

(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)WASHINGTON – Lawmakers are vowing an investigation into how law enforcement handled Wednesday’s violent breach at the Capitol, questioning whether a lack of preparedness allowed a mob to occupy and vandalize the building. U.S. Capitol Police, who are charged with protecting Congress, turned to other law enforcement for help with the mob that overwhelmed the complex and sent lawmakers into hiding. Both law enforcement and Trump supporters deployed chemical irritants during the hourslong occupation of the complex before it was cleared Wednesday evening. Three other people died after suffering “medical emergencies” related to the breach, said Robert Contee, chief of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., a former police chief, said it was “painfully obvious" that Capitol police "were not prepared for today.

FILE - In this Jan. 28, 2019, file photo, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla talks during a news conference at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. California Gov. Newsom also rejected pleas from a host of prominent Black leaders to replace Harris, the Senate’s only Black woman, with another African American woman, such as U.S. Reps. Karen Bass or Barbara Lee. If confirmed, she would become the first Black woman to hold the office, giving Newsom two history-making picks in one day. Given the timing, however, it appeared the choice was intended at least partly to quell criticism for not choosing a Black woman to replace Harris. With Padilla, Newsom gets a political soul mate and a loyalist.

Gavin Newsom speaks at a COVID-19 testing facility in Valencia, Calif. As California Gov. Gavin Newsom's shoulders as he considers his pick to serve out the rest of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' Senate term through 2022. The South saw its highest number of Black Senate candidates ever this year, but none won races outright. Labor icon Dolores Huerta and California Latinas for Reproductive Justice want Newsom to appoint a Black woman. De Leon won the endorsement of the California Democratic Party and prominent labor unions, in part because of his support for immigrant rights and aggressive policies to curb climate change.

African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans and other people of color played a crucial role in helping Biden defeat President Donald Trump. "It's nice to know that a Native American is under consideration," said Haaland, who says she is concentrating on her congressional work. A record six Native American or Native Hawaiian lawmakers were elected to Congress. Tribal officials concur there has never been a Native American as head of interior. The department's websites cite six Native American heads of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which was transferred to the Interior Department from the War Department in 1849.

Election Day is over but California already is consumed with its next high-profile political contest the competition to fill Kamala Harris' soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat. Padilla is one of a group of people being considered as one of the candidates for the Senate pick. A group of Black California lawmakers have organized a lobbying drive behind U.S. Rep. Karen Bass, who represents parts of Los Angeles and its suburbs. And they could wait: California’s other Senate seat is held by 87-year-old Dianne Feinstein, the chamber’s oldest member. Does Newsom run the risk of angering groups who lose out on the Senate pick and who might make his re-election bid more difficult?

"No decisions, from personnel to policy, will be made until after the election,” Biden transition spokesman Cameron French said Wednesday. Those roles include leaders of the treasury and health and human services departments and the director of the National Economic Council. One person familiar with the transition planning said Buttigieg could also be an ambassador to the United Nations. If Biden wins, it's unclear how closely Trump administration officials would work with the incoming team. “Is it going to mean the Biden campaign’s not going to be able to conduct the transition?

Three months after Harris took office, a young city police officer was shot and killed. “Joe and I are very clear about this.”Neither Harris nor Biden support “defunding" the police, but Harris says the country needs to “reimagine" what policing and community safety look like. But when Harris eked out a victory, she immediately reached out and began a listening tour with officers across the state. But he does not believe Trump's claims that Biden and Harris would wreak havoc on police departments. On Saturday night in Harris' home state, two Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies were shot in an ambush as they sat in their car.

and announced he will travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, amid anger over the shooting of another Black man by police. The city has been the site of months of daily protests, and a large caravan of Trump supporters and Black Lives Matter protesters clashed Saturday night. The people of Portland, like all other cities & parts of our great Country, want Law & Order," Trump wrote Sunday. But Democrats accuse Trump of rooting for unrest and trying to stoke further violence for political gain instead of seeking to ratchet down tensions. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, blamed Trump for the tensions.

Supporters of President Donald Trump and protesters hold banners as they wait for the motorcade of President Trump outside the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020. The people of Portland, like all other cities & parts of our great Country, want Law & Order," Trump later tweeted. But Democrats accuse Trump of rooting for unrest and trying to stoke further violence for political gain instead of seeking to ratchet down tensions. Trump has cast the upcoming election as clash between law and order and anarchy, and he has denounced protesters as thugs while sharply defending police. And hes going to do everything to disrupt law and order in this time period."

President Donald Trump's campaign is struggling to define California Sen. Kamala Harris, the newly announced running mate for Democratic rival Joe Biden. Like Biden, Harris has staked out relatively moderate stances over the course of her career on issues such as health care and law enforcement. That's complicating the Trump campaign's crude efforts to depict the Democratic ticket as out of step with the country. A radical leftist who is causing a revolt among Bernie voters. Harris ran her own campaign for the Democratic nomination as a relative moderate in the field.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is already being lobbied by hopefuls and numerous names are emerging in the early speculation. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool Photo via AP, File)LOS ANGELES The possible election of U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris as vice president has kicked off widespread speculation in California about who might replace her. Gavin Newsom, who would choose a replacement if Joe Biden and Harris defeat President Donald Trumps ticket. For Newsom, the list choices is long and the political risks many, especially with a national reckoning on racial injustice underway.

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2019, file photo, then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., reacts as she speaks at a town hall event at the Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden has chosen Harris as his running mate. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

Whitmer sent word to Bidens team that while she was flattered, she no longer wanted to be considered for the running mate slot, according to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings impressed Bidens team with their leadership during the police brutality protests. The public disclosure of Dodds comments angered some of the highest-ranking women on Bidens campaign team. Eleni Kounalakis, who organized a call with Bidens vetting team about two weeks ago to assuage any doubts about whether the senator was the right choice for the ticket. The call ended with Bidens vetting team telling the Harris supporters that they had all recommended her as one of the top candidates for the job.

Whitmer sent word to Bidens team that while she was flattered, she no longer wanted to be considered for the running mate slot, according to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings impressed Bidens team with their leadership during the police brutality protests. The public disclosure of Dodds comments angered some of the highest-ranking women on Bidens campaign team. Eleni Kounalakis, who organized a call with Bidens vetting team about two weeks ago to assuage any doubts about whether the senator was the right choice for the ticket. The call ended with Bidens vetting team telling the Harris supporters that they had all recommended her as one of the top candidates for the job.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden has chosen Harris as his running mate. In choosing Harris, Biden embraced a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign. A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States. Harris launched her presidential campaign in early 2019 with the slogan Kamala Harris For the People, a reference to her courtroom work. Some Biden confidants said Harris debate attack did irritate the former vice president, who had a friendly relationship with her.

The 2020 spotlight is about to shift, at least temporarily, away from President Donald Trump and onto Biden. It's no secret that Democrats want the 2020 election to be a referendum on Trump. But for the next two weeks, the brightest spotlight is expected to shine on Biden and his party. It's worth noting here that running mates have rarely, if ever, swayed a presidential election in the modern era. The countrys counterintelligence chief, William Evanina, on Friday offered the most specific warning to date about the threat of foreign interference in the 2020 election.

Nationwide, more than 140 Catholic schools will not reopen in the fall. Already this year, financial and enrollment problems aggravated by the pandemic have forced the permanent closure of more than 140 Catholic schools nationwide, according to officials who oversee Catholic education in the country. Three of the nations highest-ranking Catholic leaders, in a recent joint appeal, said Catholic schools are presently facing their greatest financial crisis and warned that hundreds more closures are likely without federal support. For Catholic schools that are reopening, there is no national directive as to how they should handle the question of in-person classes. And in Evansville, Indiana, Catholic schools reopened Aug. 5 with a full program of in-person instruction.

Gretchen Whitmer traveled to Delaware last weekend to meet with Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's first known in-person session with a potential running mate as he nears a decision. Whitmer visited Biden Sunday, according to two high-ranking Michigan Democrats who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Biden is facing calls to select a Black woman to acknowledge their crucial role in Democratic politics and in response to the nation's reckoning with systemic racism. If Whitmer is chosen to join the ticket and Biden wins, Lt. Gov. Biden and Whitmer formed a bond after he campaigned for her in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

But the recent college graduate had long heard stories from his grandfather recounting the days of oppression in Cuba under Fidel Castro. Even for some young Cubans, the congresswoman's remarks are troubling and a reminder that Castro still stirs strong passions. The Pew Research Center estimates that nearly a third of Floridas Hispanic voters have roots in Cuba. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a Cuban American, has called the congresswoman a Castro sympathizer." But his real worry is that Republicans would use Bass' remarks as distraction from what he called the more important goal of electing Biden.

An army helicopter drops water at the scene of Tuesday's massive explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. Residents of Beirut awoke to a scene of utter devastation on Wednesday, a day after a massive explosion at the port sent shock waves across the Lebanese capital, killing dozens of people and wounding thousands. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. CHILDREN FLEEING DANGER EXPELLED Citing the coronavirus, more than 2,000 unaccompanied children have been expelled from the U.S. since March under an emergency declaration by the Trump administration. NORTH KOREA ESCALATES VIRUS RESPONSE Pyongyang is quarantining thousands of people and shipping food and other aid to a southern city locked down over coronavirus worries, officials say.

Our entire economy is at stake, Clyburn told The Associated Press in a Newsmakers interview. The third-ranking House Democrat said he's hopeful that negotiators on Capitol Hill can reach an agreement soon on a new virus aid package. Weve got a health care crisis wrapped into an economic crisis, and they are so interwoven, Clyburn said. And so that we can have a fair, unfettered election, said Clyburn, who is the House Democratic whip. You know, when I was a child, I spoke as a child and understood as a child.

Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., right, as they arrive at the House Democratic Issues Conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Who's setting the stage for Biden's decision:THE CO-CHAIRSLISA BLUNT ROCHESTER: The Delaware congresswoman connects the vetting team to Biden's home state. After leaving the Obama White House, Hogan served in executive positions for the National Football League and for Apple. She left the tech giant shortly after being named to Bidens search committee. Remus is married to Brett Holmgren, a special assistant and national security aide in the Obama White House.

At the same time, the Trump administration has opposed any significant efforts in the latest coronavirus rescue package to protect and strengthen mail voting. But this week largely belongs to Biden, who is days away from announcing the winner of the veepstakes. The question then becomes whether the Trump administration will do anything to address his concerns about mail voting. GOP officials said over the weekend that the vote to formally give Trump his party's 2020 presidential nomination will be conducted in private later this month. ___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.

Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., right, as they arrive at the House Democratic Issues Conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. After leaving the Obama White House, Hogan served in executive positions for the National Football League and for Apple. She left the tech giant shortly after being named to Bidens search committee. Extending the ties, Bauer is married to Anita Dunn, Bidens senior adviser who was one of Obamas White House communications directors. Remus is married to Brett Holmgren, a special assistant and national security aide in the Obama White House.

California Congresswoman Bass has emerged a leading contender to be Democrats' vice presidential candidate. Allies say her reputation as a bridge-builder would make her a strong partner to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Bass said she traveled to Cuba to help construct homes in her late teens and early 20's. She said her views of Cuba are in line with policy under former President Barack Obama, who sought to thaw U.S. relations with the country. As a matter of fact, I was honored to go to Cuba with President Obama.

WASHINGTON As Joe Biden nears the announcement of his vice presidential choice, the top contenders and their advocates are making final appeals. That's one week before Democrats will hold their convention to officially nominate Biden as their presidential nominee. As Biden prepares to make his choice, a committee established to vet running mates has provided him with briefing materials. He has pledged to select a woman and is facing calls to choose the first Black woman to compete on a presidential ticket. Harris, while not directly addressing her vice presidential prospects, said Saturday that anyone who tries to shatter a glass ceiling faces naysayers.

California Congresswoman Bass has emerged a leading contender to be Democrats' vice presidential candidate. Allies say her reputation as a bridge-builder would make her a strong partner to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Enter Karen Bass, who became Assembly speaker that May, the first Black woman to hold the role. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee appeared with Bass for the first time at a fundraiser on Thursday. With Karen Bass' comments about Fidel Castro, it will be served up on a silver platter."

WASHINGTON As Joe Biden nears the announcement of his vice presidential choice, the top contenders and their advocates are making final appeals. Bill Richardson, who was vetted for vice president in 2008. The selection amounts to the most significant choice Biden has confronted in his nearly five-decade political career. On Friday night, Biden held a virtual fundraiser with Elizabeth Warren, who has also been considered as a running mate. The two talked for nearly an hour but did not mention the vice presidential selection process.

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)WASHINGTON The body of the late Rep. John Lewis has arrived in Washington to lie in state as lawmakers gather to pay tribute to the long-time Georgia lawmaker and icon of the civil rights movement. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who served in Congress alongside Lewis, is expected to visit the Capitol to pay his respects. Lewis was the youngest and last-living of the featured speakers for the March on Washington in 1963, where the Rev. In Selma, Alabama, on March 7, 1965, Lewis suffered a beating at the hands of an Alabama state trooper that became one of the defining moments of his life. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on Aug. 6 of that year.

WASHINGTON Democrat Joe Biden said Monday that he is getting extensive briefings from lawyers vetting candidates for vice president and plans to have personal discussions with his final choices for running mate. The presumptive presidential nominee said on MSNBCs The ReidOut that he is getting a "two-hour vetting report" on his VP contenders. Biden has been under some pressure to choose a Black woman as his vice presidential candidate in a nod to the constituency's role as the most dependable Democratic base of voters. He would not commit Monday to selecting a Black woman when asked on MSNBC, saying only, "I am not committed to naming any but the people I have named, and among them there are four Black women. So, that decision is underway right now.Among the Black women Biden is believed to be considering are California Sen. Kamala Harris, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Florida Rep. Val Demings, California Rep. Karen Bass and former Obama administration official Susan Rice.

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump points as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally, in Toledo, Ohio. Multiple polls suggest that a majority of voters, including many Republicans, simply don't believe what Trump says about the pandemic. Meanwhile, Trump also refused to say whether he would accept the results of the general election. Scott Walker, the former Wisconsin governor and a Trump ally, tells us that he sees no clear strategy coming from the Trump campaign. ___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.

Shortly after 2 p.m., as Trump was returning from his golf outing and more than 14 hours after Lewis' death was announced he offered his and the first ladys condolences in a two-sentence Twitter message. Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. In December of that year, Lewis refused to speak at the opening of Mississippi civil rights and history museums because Trump would be there. The White House also issued a proclamation from the president ordering the lowering of U.S. flags at federal buildings for Lewis' death. The administration lowered the American flag over the White House to half-staff, but then raised it again two days later.

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)WASHINGTON For a moment, Congress had a chance to act on policing reform, mobilized by a national trauma and overwhelming public support. There are other high-profile examples where public support has been unable to overcome hyper-partisanship in Congress most notably on gun control. The parties have also failed to make progress in overhauling the nations fractured immigration laws, despite broad public support. Murray said in an interview that there was little attempt to do that kind of behind-the-scenes work on policing reform. The feeling that you want to accomplish something, that you want to get something done ... is a very different feeling than we saw with policing reform."

Exactly one month ago, George Floyd spoke his final words I can't breathe and changed the course of history, Pelosi said. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is perhaps the most ambitious set of proposed changes to police procedures and accountability in decades. After the GOP policing bill stalled this week, blocked by Democrats, Trump shrugged. The two parties are instead appealing to voters ahead of the fall election, which will determine control of the House, Senate and White House. Senate Democrats believe Senate Republicans will face mounting public pressure to open negotiations and act.

Initially reluctant to speak on race, Scott is now among the Republican Partys most prominent voices teaching his colleagues what its like to be a Black man in America. Even after he became a U.S. senator, the Capitol quickly became just another place where he would be stopped by the police. Initially reluctant to focus on race, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is now a leading Republican voice, teaching his party what its like to be a Black man in America when the police lights are flashing in the rearview mirror. He found his political legs and political wings at a unique time in this country, said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist in South Carolina. I think its a blessing from God._____Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)BURIEN, Wash. Seattle officers hold down a protester, and one repeatedly punches him in the face. Better training cant fix all the issues facing the nations police departments, but experts believe it would have a big impact. A recent Associated Press investigation found that a lack of firearms training has resulted in unintentional shootings by law enforcement. Police officers across the country are woefully undertrained, said Sean Hendrickson, an instructor at Washington states police academy in suburban Seattle. In Washington state, cadets must complete 720 hours of training, but those skills start to degrade immediately, Hendrickson said.

Key Democrats, including presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden, are rejecting liberal calls to defund the police as President Donald Trump and his allies point to the movement as a dangerous example of Democratic overreach. Other opponents of the movement include Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., a former presidential candidate and one of two black Democratic senators, and Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., head of the Congressional Black Caucus. Municipal officials in Minneapolis have endorsed the defund the police language backed by some civil rights activists and a handful of progressive House Democrats. Protesters over the weekend also painted DEFUND THE POLICE in large yellow letters on a street close to the White House. Some Democrats described it as bad politics, even if most Democrats shared the desire to overhaul policing.

WASHINGTON A sweeping overhaul of police oversight and procedures is being proposed by Democrats in response to the deaths of black Americans at the hands of law enforcement, according to a draft outline obtained by The Associated Press. It is the most ambitious changes to law enforcement sought by Congress in years. Bass said the package from House and Senate Democrats will be bolder than any law enforcement changes of the past decade. It is unclear if law enforcement and the powerful police unions will back any of the proposed changes or if congressional Republicans will join the effort. Booker and fellow one-time presidential hopeful, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, are co-authors of the package in the Senate.

(AP Photo/Ragan Clark)WASHINGTON Protesters are pushing to defund the police" over the death of George Floyd and other black Americans killed by law enforcement. But what does defund the police mean? Trump ramped up his rhetoric on the issue on Monday, tweeting: LAW & ORDER, NOT DEFUND AND ABOLISH THE POLICE. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday that the city would move funding from the NYPD to youth initiatives and social services, while keeping the city safe, but he didn't give details. A majority of the members of the Minneapolis City Council said Sunday they support disbanding the citys police department.

She said t he package from House and Senate Democrats will be bolder than any law enforcement changes of the past decade. The package would also change qualified immunity protections for police to enable individuals to recover damages when law enforcement officers violate their constitutional rights, it says. The legislation would seek to provide greater oversight and transparency of police behavior in several ways. It is unclear if law enforcement and the powerful police unions will back any of the proposed changes or if congressional Republicans will join the effort. At least one Republican, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, who has long pushed for a criminal justice overhaul, has said he'd like to review the package coming from Democrats.